Rams defense stifles 49ers' running game in NFC

The Rams took away the 49ers' main offensive weapon — the running game.

The San Francisco 49ers rallied behind quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo all season. When he couldn't make the plays in Green Bay, the defense and special teams stepped up to help the 49ers advance.

However, in the NFC Championship game on Sunday night, San Francisco's supporting cast was unable to keep Garoppolo and the 49ers alive, as the Rams won 20-17 and advanced to Super Bowl LVI inside their home stadium.

One of the Rams' main worries heading into the NFC Championship game was the 49ers' rushing game. San Francisco uses versatile weapon Deebo Samuel in a variety of ways, complementing the efforts of rookie running back Elijah Mitchell, who amassed over 1,000 all-purpose yards in his maiden NFL season.

The performance of defensive lineman Aaron Donald was a major factor for the Rams' defensive success on Sunday night. In the fourth quarter of Sunday's game, the Rams' All-Pro defensive lineman exemplified the position of leader, rallying his team when they needed to lock in and go back to playing their brand of football.

Leading up to Sunday's game against the 49ers, Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris remarked on Donald's leadership, stating he could feel the hunger in his sense of urgency.
"You can clearly see a sense of urgency in him as well," Morris said. "His eagerness to lead seems to be greater."

Although three tackles and two quarterback hits may not look like a game-changing stat line, Donald's persistent disruption necessitates so much offensive attention from other teams.

To prevent Donald from blowing up plays on a regular basis, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan had to depart from his usual zone-blocking plan. This covered times when San Francisco was leading the game. They turned away from running games like Geometry Dash since they couldn't find much success on the ground.

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